Vincenty-Cole1

Not Quite Yet

Stormy. Quiet? It was a night in New York City. One where on the cold wet steps of an old

apartment a baby happened to be. Abandoned. Crying. Someone walking by heard the baby and immediately

ran up to make sure everything was okay. Before picking up the infant they saw a small note written in

sloppy handwriting: “Please take care of him, I know you’ll do the right thing. Im sorry for everything.. -J” At

the bottom of the note there was what looked like an apartment number: “C13”. They put the note back in

the basket and looked for the button on the wall. The loud buzz frustrated the child causing it to cry. Once

they heard footsteps coming down the stairs they left, the door opened. A young scruffy looking man pulled

open the door to see the screaming child on the stairs, who instinctively picked up the child and saw the

note. He didn't even need to read it to realized what had just happened. With the child in his arms he ran back

up to his apartment, his wife was standing at their door confused and worried for she had realized the child

in her husband's arms.

“What on earth..” she began before interrupted by the shrieks of the newborn.

“Hurry lets get him inside before we wake anyone else up.”

Panic. Fear. The suddenly new parents thought of everything they could to stop the infant from

crying. They looked around and realized that they didn't have anything to take care of a child with. They had

been planning on having a child on their own in the near future, but they definitely wanted to have all the
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supplies need to take care of the child before the child was present. Messy. Ineligible. They create a list of

everything they needed for their new found son.

΅I’ll stay with him, you go and get everything on the list. Maybe a little more if you

see anything good.” Jessica kissed her flustered husband and walked him to the door as she bounced her

son in her arms. David ran to the car and hopped in. Sympathy. Overwhelmed. He got to the store and

grabbed a cart. After glancing at the list he started grabbing things off the shelves and putting them in the

cart. Diapers. Bottles. Formula. As the cart continued to fill his confidence in his ability to care for a child

weakend. He had no doubt that his beautiful wife could do it, but him? Was he really ready for such a big

commitment? Was he ready to be a father? Later his confidence would be strengthened but in that moment,

David had no idea what to expect.

Jessica immediately fell in love with the child. The more he laughed and played with her the more

she felt like he was really hers. She got the sense that maybe he even looked like her a little bit. She knew it

sounded crazy but the amount of love she had for that child just consumed her. The more time Jessica spent

with him the more she realized a few things. First, she realized that he needed a name. The first name that

popped into her head was Nicholas, her father's name. The more she admired Nicholas the more she realized

that others might not. At this time in age the people of New York were learning accept people of color but

that doesn't mean when two white parents have a colored child, they won't be judged for it. Opened minded.

Judgmental. There were only two kinds of people in their town. Most of their friends learned to accept the

choice they made, but there the occasional few that just can't seem to wrap their heads around it.
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The older Nicholas got, the more people seemed to judge the way he was raised and where he came

from. Especially once David and Jessica had another child of their own. People would look at their family as

they would walk buy and instantly assume that he just didn't belong. Even though raising Nicholas as their

own child caused them problems with people they thought were their friends the never for a moment

doubted Nick and the great things he would soon accomplish. When his little brother Jackson was born they

instantly became the best of friends. They bonded as if they were both born from the same mother. Trust.

Love. Two of the strongest things that can shape a person into who they’re meant to be. Jessica and David

hoped that Nicholas wouldn't ever find out about his real parents, only because they knew their troubled

pasts would cause him pain.

David's sister was troubled. She joined the wrong crowds, and couldn’t escape them. Drugs. ALcohol.

She got addicted and lost all control. The only time she could stop was when she was forced to. When

Nicholas forced her too. The moment David and the rest of their family found she was with child they were

immediately terrified for they had no idea what she was capable of doing with that child inside her. There was

so many different times they tried to get her help. Hospitals. Institutions. No matter the amount of helped

they offered she would never take it. She abused drugs and alcohol for so long, she simply didn't know how to

live without them. With all the nights shed spend out she met a man. They both believed it was love and

they’ve been together ever since. Once they found out they were to have a child they both panicked. Neither

of them wanted that, not then, not ever. They quickly came to the agreement to abort the child but their

families stopped them. They were so drunk off of their freedom that they were willing to take the life of an
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innocent just to get it back. From that moment David knew that one day he would probably end up with the

child but hoped once he was born that it would change something in his sister. It clearly never did.

Growing. Learning. David was a brilliant child. He was passing all his classes with flying colors. Yes,

it was middle school, there isn't much to learn in the 6th grade but compared to the other students, Nick was

pure genius. He was a quiet child, a few acquaintances here and there. Most children picked on him for they

knew about how he was left by his real parents. Nicholas never understand why they would say those things,

for he had no idea what the word orphan had meant, or what he did to deserve the title. Confusion.

Embarrassment. One day Nick decided to ask his parents what a orphan was; why he was classified as one.

“ Where on earth did you hear that from?!” Jessica panicked and looked toward her husband.

“ Kids at school,” Nicholas responded.

“Listen son,” David started while pulling him close. “Children can be cruel, without any

explanation whatsoever. Their parents say the wrong things and they pick up on it. People tend to

believe just about anything they hear these days. But, that doesn't make it right.” Both Jessica and David

were at a loss of words. Their worst fear had finally risen. Regret. Secrets. They haven't had the chance to

discuss what they would do or say if Nicholas had ever found out about is real mother and father. They never

thought they had to.

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“I know it may all be confusing right now, but one day you will come to understand. I hoped

you would never have to learn what actually happened, but it's just too soon for you to know right

now. I promise you son, that I myself will tell you everything. But not quite yet.” Tears started to run

down Jessica's face as she looked into her sons beautiful brown eyes.

“Please don't cry mom. Im okay, I promise!” Nicholas smiled and hugged both his mom and dad

with even more confusion than before. All he wanted was answers, but he replayed what his mother had told

him over and over. “I myself will tell you everything. But not quite yet…”

For now not quite yet was enough. Nick went back to school and learned to ignore what the other kids

had said. He flew through sixth, seventh, and even eighth grade at the top of his class. Teachers saw great

potential in him, even though they knew the real story of where he came from. They would hear the other

kids mocking Nicholas and trying to put him down. They immediately shut it down and would accept any type

of bullying. The older Nicholas grew the harder keeping the secret was getting for everyone else.

“I myself will tell you everything. But not quite yet…”